The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-07-17
Race Prejudice North and South.

Race Prejudice North and South.
A bill has been introduced into the Geor-
gia Legislature making it an indictable Of
fence to admit white pupils into colored
schools or colored pupils into white schools.
The author of the bill announces his purpose
to follow it with another, requiring that col
ored schools shall employ only colored
teachers, on the ground that at is the poll
cy of the State. and unquestionably the best
for all concerned, to keep the races entirely
apart In the matter Of education"
When the Episcopalians Of South Carolina
held their Diocesan Convention last May
large part of the clerical and lay delegates
withdrew because colored clergymen had
been admitted. Within few days COM
mittee OF the boilers have published state
ment Of their case, which Ia that the seating
Of colored clergymen in the Church councils
ia unconstitutional and dangerous, In that
the practical result would BIO to force negro
social equality on the people" Those with
drawing represented more than half OF all
the persons connected with the Church, and
parishes which pay nearly two-thirds OF the
Conventions expenses. They are ready to
work to bring the colored people into the
Episcopal communion, but are unwilling to
take them into our councils"
Thus we see that the color line continues
to be drawn very sharply ut the South.
Even religion cannot obliterate 1t. White
Christians will labor for the salvation Of the
colored people and admit them to Christian
-h1e1yuys themselves anu commune together:
South Carolina Episcopalians recognize the
propriety and even necessity of ordaining
colored clergymen II the Church expects to
keep and strengthen its hold on the ne
groes, whose tendency since emancipa-
ton has been to desert the Episcopal
chapels provided for them and fly
for more congenial associations to the Bap-
fists and Methodists; but the majority Of
them demand that they shall be a ministry
apart, working only among their own race,
and not assuming to sit in the councils Of the
Church. First Of all, the color line must be
left undisturbed, and efforts for the CONVEX
sion Of the negroes must be so guarded that
there shall be no danger Of making the
Church the means of bringing about social
equality. of which the whites seem to be far
more fearful than they are OF losing the ne
groes from the communion. Better no colored
Episcopalians, they say in substance than
that the social distinctions between the races
should be broken down.
1t is the same in Georgia with regard to
education, and In the South generally. The
whites are ready to encourage and support
schools and colleges for the colored people,
but they must be for the colored people
alone. There seems to be dread Of the pos
sible consequences Of white and negro 1850
citation which Is much stronger and more
active than 1t was in the days of slavery.
But there Is nothing surprising about the
feeling, for even here at the North, where
oolored people are comparatively few, the
race prejudice has by no means been over
come. committee OF colored men write
to us to say that they think we have exag-
gerated it as 1t at present exists. But let
do that.
The churches to which the great ma
jorlty OF the negroes belong may not be as
frank as the South Carolina Eplscopalians to
whom we have referred in expressing their de-
termination to maintain the color line, but as
matter OF fact do they not insist on drawing 1t
with almost the same strictness The colored
Methodists are by themselves at the North
as at the South and We do not find colored
preachers over white Baptist congregations.
However unreasonable and contrary to the
spirit OF the Gospel, are We not forced to
acknowledge the existence OF the prejudice
The discrimination against the blacks re-
Gently made at Asbury Park shows how in
tense the prejudice Is here how sharply de-
fined the color line. Mr. BRADLEY Ii Re-
publican and a Methodist, and yet he de-
clares frankly that he wishes that colored
people, most of whom are fellow Methodsts,
would keep away from that watering place,
and II they so there he is determined that
they shall not make themselves conspicu-
Gus. Whyp Because OF the prejudices OF
the white visitors, who will abandon Asbury
Park II they must jostle against negroes on
the board walk. Yet, at the most. the num-
Der OF colored people ut the place Ii COM
paratively small, and with very rare excep-
tons, they deport themselves with great
propriety; but behave themselves as they
may, the white sojournors regard them
as obtrusive, simply because they are colored.
As 1t was In the South Carolina Convention.
the objection at the bottom is TO the social
equality involved In whites and blacks COM
ing together.
Even Queen KAPIoLANI of the Sandwich
Islands was made victim OF the same preiu-
dice at the jubilee celebration in London.
Though not of the African race, she is as
dark as many Africans, and accordingly the
King OF Saxony refused TO take her In to
supper at Buckingham Palace. "Pll SOC
everybody damned before take o black
woman in to supper,"s said that royal per-
sonage. How would 1t be In New York II